The Moment I Knew
by taylorswifts
Summary: "I knew his world moved too fast and burned too bright. Maybe he knew that when he saw me. I guess I just lost my balance. I think that the worst part of it all wasn't losing him. It was losing me." Ezria fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I honestly have not written fan fiction in THE longest time, so I decided to give it a shot once more. This idea came to me when I was listening to The Moment I Knew by Taylor Swift, so if you'd like to listen to it while reading, go ahead! Enjoy! :)**

**PS- I'm not actually sure when Aria's birthday is, so for this story let's pretend it's around Christmas time. I apologize if there's any typos, I wrote this on my iPod.**

Aria sighed as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her strapless red dress. It wasn't normally her idea to throw such a lavish party, but Hanna had insisted- with so many things going on in their lives, it was nice to let loose even if it was only for a little while. She looked around the living room, which had become a dance floor- a shining disco ball hanging from the ceiling, decorations painting the walls, and how could Aria miss the huge banner that said, "Happy Birthday, Aria"? But something didn't feel right, and it had been a while since she had started to think that way. Ever since Ezra had discovered about Malcolm things were not the same. The fancy dates and even the late night kisses were gone. Aria had become the last priority, and only during Ezra's free time was she somewhat happy. At least she got to see him. Then she realized, Ezra had not yet arrived to the party.

It had only been 6pm, but that turned into 8pm, then 10pm. During all that time, Aria had been sitting in the kitchen and fumbling with her hands, biting on her quivering lip to keep from crying. She could not cry in front of all these people; it was her birthday, she had to at least pretend to be happy.

_Christmas lights glisten_

_I've got my eye on the door just waiting for you to walk in_

_But the time is ticking_

_People ask me how I've been as I comb back through my memory_

_How you said you'd be here_

Aria snapped out of her trance when she saw a figure approaching her way and almost instantly, she put a smile on her face. Spencer only looked down at the tiny girl, having a sympathetic look on her face.

"Are you okay?" the taller brunette asked.

"Of course I am." Aria replied meekly. Spencer knew better, and grabbed a chair to sit beside her best friend.

"Aria..." she began, but Aria only cut her off by dashing off to the bathroom, and Spencer swore she could hear a muffled sob that had come out of Aria, so she decided to follow her, but made sure to grab Emily and Hanna, who were dancing away the night with their significant others.

They approached the bathroom, where the door was not closed all the way. Emily whispered, "Should we leave her alone for a while?"

Hanna shook her head. "No, she needs to realize he's not coming. She should enjoy her night, and not spend it away crying over him. If he comes, I swear I'll put my fist so far up his-"

"Hanna! Stop! Don't be so gruesome!" Spencer had quickly cut the blonde off, disgusted at her words. She then turned towards the door, knocking on it softly.

"Aria? Let us in." There was a hesitant sigh that came from inside, but the door then opened quickly, revealing a tear stained girl that stood in the door way, staring at her friends.

_Your close friends always seem to know when there's something really wrong_

_So they follow me down the hall_

_And they're in the bathroom _

_I try not to fall apart_

_And the sinking feeling starts_

_As I say hopelessly, "He said he'd be here" _

"He said he'd be here." she whispered, barely audible to even herself. Still, her friends understood. Emily reached towards Aria's hand, and squeezed it gently with hers.

"He's not coming, sweetie. At least try to enjoy the rest of the night. We're almost going to cut the cake. We don't like seeing you like this." Emily seemed to get the message across, as Spencer and Hanna both nodded in response; Emily had said what they wanted to say.

Wiping her eyes, Aria nodded and gave them a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go." Aria exited the bathroom, her friends following close behind.

_And they're all standing around me singing_

_Happy birthday to you_

_But there was one thing missing_

_And that was the moment I knew_

She smiled the best she could, hopefully deleting any trace of her previous breakdown. Constant photographic flashes, people cheering, that was what she had to focus on. It was her birthday, after all.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Aria, happy birthday to you!" the crowd sang, cheering her on to cut the cake. Aria then blew out the candles, and there was one thing she wished for. She wished for Ezra to come. "Pass out the cake!" someone shouted. She laughed, people were so eager to eat some cake. After what seemed like forever, people started to leave until it was just Aria and her friends.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Hanna asked. "If you want, we can all spend the night, right guys?" the others nodded.

"No, guys, it's okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She smiled at them, the first genuine smile of the night. "Thank you guys for everything. I had a good time."

There was a chorus of "You're welcome's" and Aria led them towards the door. She waved goodbye to her friends, closing the door behind them. It was almost midnight; she figured she should start getting ready for bed. She unzipped her dress in the bathroom and swapped it for some old pajamas, and quickly took off her makeup. She grabbed a hair band that was on the counter, and put her hair up in a messy ponytail. Aria headed off towards her room, sitting on her bed. Then her phone started ringing. Her stomach instantly dropped when she looked at the caller ID.

_Stay cool,_ _Aria,_ she thought. "Hello?" she whispered quietly into the phone.

The voice that she had missed so much answered her on the other line. "Hey... Aria, I'm sorry I didn't make it. I had to watch Ma-" Aria cut him off.

"You know what, Ezra. Forget it. I'm sorry too." She knew that what they had would never come back. They were fighting for something that wasn't possible reaching and her heart broke each time she thought about it. There was a worried sigh that came from the other line. Aria ignored it, ending the call.

She took a deep breath, knowing it would have to end this way. Her mother was right. In a situation like this, people would always end up hurt. Unfortunately, it was Aria that ended up hurt. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Aria ached for some sort of comfort. Instead she pulled the covers over herself, staring into the wall. She thought of all the happy times she shared with Ezra. She giggled silently to herself when she thought about the day in which she realized Ezra would be her English teacher. Eventually, she drifted off into a deep sleep; wishing things had turned out differently.

_And that was the moment I knew _

**So what did you guys think? It's a little short, I know. But this is meant to be a one-shot. However, if I get enough reviews asking me to, I could maybe POSSIBLY make it into a story! Anyways, please tell me what you think. Reviews are always appreciated. **

**xo, Stephanie**


	2. The Wrong Brother

**Hiii! Due to constant requests, I've decided to make this into a story. I'm not exactly sure how long this story will be or how it will turn out, but I can assure you there will be a happy ending. In that case, though, if you have any suggestions, feel free to review and put your ideas there. It'd be greatly appreciated.**

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Aria sighed inwardly as soon as she arose. Her vision was still somewhat blurry, so she rubbed her eyes and blinked slowly. Her eyes landed on the clock. 12:05pm, it read. Managing to finally get out of bed, Aria walked towards the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then changed into a pair of blue jean shorts and put on a brown cardigan that accompanied the white blouse that she was wearing underneath. There was no emotion running through her—she was numb.

Her phone rang, and she rushed back into her bedroom to answer it.

"Hello?" she said into the phone.

'Hey, Aria. How are you feeling?" It was Spencer. Spencer knew most of the situation with Ezra and Aria, and in a way, she understood how Aria was feeling. Out of all her friends, Aria confided in Spencer the most. They were team Sparia, after all.

"I'm not really sure. Can you meet me at The Brew in 15? I'm trying to distract myself."

"Of course. You know I'm always up for being in a place where there's coffee. Plus, Emily will be there. I'd invite Hanna, but she's at some sort of fashion convention in Philly. Typical Hanna."

Aria smiled and let out a quiet laugh. "Okay, see you soon." She hung up and realized she had gotten a text message, and the short brunette gasped quietly when she was who it was from.

_Hey, aria... I'm back in town for a while; do you maybe wanna meet up later and catch up? – Wes_

For some reason, she really wanted to spend some time with Wes. Maybe it was the fact that he was related to Ezra, or because in her alone time, she found herself thinking of the kiss they shared awhile back. Nonetheless, she decided to text him back and accept his offer.

_Meet me at my house at 7. I'll be home alone, my parents are out of town and Mike is staying at a friends. _She hit send and it was only a matter of minutes before she got a respond.

_Great. See you then : )_

Aria slid her phone into her back pocket and decided to head to The Brew. She got into her car and drove off, parking rather sloppily but quickly, and opened the door to the coffee shop and went inside. Emily looked up from behind the counter, and offered Aria a small smile. "Do you want anything?" she asked.

"No thanks, Em. Is Spence here?" She looked around the small yet cozy room for Spencer, but couldn't find her.

"She didn't text you? She said she couldn't make it, but my senses tell me she had to attend to a certain blue eyed boy who was a little…" Em turned bright red; she wasn't the type to blurt some things out as they were. "She's satisfying him."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't really want that image in my head, and I also don't want to go home. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, please. Can you give these lattes to the couple that's outside? It's a busy day and I feel a little bad, they've been waiting for a while." Emily slid the lattes across the counter, and Aria took them and pushed through the door with her hips, handing the drinks to the couple and smiling warmly at them. She was about to walk back into the shop, when she saw him. He was across the street, and he seemed to have noticed her too. Ezra had a soft look on his face, almost as if he had been hurt by what had occurred last night.

But why would he be hurt? Why would it matter that she was out of his life? He clearly had another thing to focus on, his son. Aria felt selfish, and when she snapped back into reality; he was gone. Blinking to keep tears from forming in the corners of her eyes, she went back inside and calmly told Emily she had a prior commitment she had to attend to and waved goodbye. She didn't really have a commitment at the time, unless you counted seeing Wes later.

She went back home, and watched the Gossip Girl marathon that was on TV. Her life somewhat resembled the show. Dramatic and depressing. A few hours later, there was a knock on the door and Aria rose to answer it, fighting the smile that was forming on her lips. Why was she so excited to see Wes? She swung it open and stared at his figure.

Wes was dressed in his usual vest and collared shirt, with blue jeans and some simple sneakers. He smiled at her, and she motioned for him to come inside, and so he did.

"Hey, Aria. It's good to see you." Aria fought the urge to hug him, because for some odd reason, she really wanted him to hold her tight and comfort her.

"Ezra and I broke up." She blurted out. Wes only nodded, as if he saw it coming.

"I know, he told me. I just came by to check on you and If I'm being honest, I really wanted spend some time with you. I've missed you..." Wes' voice trailed off, biting on his lip nervously as if he was embarrassed for telling her this information.

"I've missed you, too, Wes. I don't want to talk about Ezra right now. What do you want to do?" She was hoping to watch another movie, but Wes had another idea.

"Well, I brought the old Backstreet Boys album. Let's have a listen, shall we?" He didn't wait for her response, and approached the stereo and slid the CD in, pressing play.

I Want It That Way soon started playing through the speakers, and she laughed lightly—she didn't think of Wes as the type to listen to this sort of music, especially music made by a 90's boy band. Without even thinking twice, she grabbed onto his hand and swayed her hips side to side as she let out a giggle, whispering, "Dance with me."

He nodded and placed his hands on her waist, pulling her in closer, closer than he's ever pulled her before. Her hands trailed up his chest, and she then wrapped her arms around his neck. Moving to the beat, Aria smiled.

"You know, Aria. I'm never going to hurt you." Wes glanced down at her, tracing her jawline with his hand.

Aria felt herself getting nervous, he had only been in her house for less than 10 minutes, why was he saying all of this? She decided to ask him.

"Why are you saying this all now, Wes?" Her face scrunched up, feeling her breathing start to increase. She shouldn't be getting nervous.

"Because, Aria. You fell for the wrong brother." Aria gaped at him at first, but that was replaced with a grin. And with that, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, beginning a kiss that she knew was wrong but felt so right.

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**Okay I think that may have been rushed, but I kinda felt that this chapter was a little too boring, so I decided to cut it up. Next chapter will be a lot more interesting, I promise, but I would really love some ideas. What did you guys think? Review!**


	3. You Made Your Choice

**Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story. And yes, this is an Ezria story for those who have asked. -A obviously exists in this story, and trust me—it's going to get really good real soon. So enjoy!**

**Oh and for the sake of this story, Aria's parents are still together. It totally slipped my mind that they separated. If I make any other mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them.**

Wes hadn't expected for Aria to kiss him. In fact, it had shocked him when she had asked if he wanted to dance with him. He cared for Aria, so much; in fact, he had gotten angry at Ezra for not showing up at Aria's birthday party.

Wes kissed her back longingly, his hands resting on her lower back, pushing her small yet fit body against the wall. Aria giggled in response, her legs wrapping around his torso. It wasn't long until his tongue slipped into her mouth, their kiss becoming heated. Her hands ran up his chest, finding no need to hold onto something because the wall had become her back's support. They broke apart for air, and her mind decided to play games on her. For a second, it was Ezra staring back at her and not Wes.

She quickly climbed off of him and looked away.

"Aria, are you okay?" he asked. Aria couldn't figure out what just happened. She liked the kiss with Wes, so why did she imagine Ezra? A million thoughts raced through her head and she couldn't get a grip on reality. She missed Ezra but it was clear to her that he didn't miss her back. She needed to move on. But with his brother? That would have screamed the ultimate betrayal to Ezra. She liked Wes and she found him attractive, but nothing could compare to Ezra. But Aria didn't ask him to leave. She didn't say what was on her mind, and that she couldn't do this with him. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Aria wasn't brave.

"Y-yeah. I'm good. I just.. I lost my balance." she said. It sounded a lot more uncertain than she had hoped for, causing Wes to open his mouth – most likely to question her some more – but he only nodded and smiled at her.

"I liked that… I should probably go though. I have to go do a few things. Can I see you again, anytime soon?" He had a glimmer of hope in his eyes, and Aria couldn't bring herself to say, "No, you can't." He had been over for no more than 30 minutes and she wondered why he had to leave but didn't ask. She only lied again.

"Yes of course, I'll let you know. Thanks for coming over again." She smiled and he leaned in, hoping for another kiss but she pretended to sneeze and avoided his gaze and led him to the door. He muttered a quick goodbye and she waved, shutting the door as soon as he was off the steps of her house. Aria rested her back against the wall, and closed her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. Her phone dinged, signaling a text and she looked at it, immediately freezing at what it said.

_First she hooks up with her teacher, now she hooks up with the teacher's brother. Don't worry though, you'll only have to worry about one of them—there won't be another left for you to choose. – _A

She dropped the phone and heard its impact as soon as it hit the ground. It had been a while since she had gotten a text from A, and she couldn't wrap her mind around it. What did this text mean, was one of them going to hate her, or worse…? What if one of them was to be in danger? She gulped, reaching down to pick up her phone and run upstairs to her bedroom. She had school tomorrow and with tonight's events, she knew she wasn't going to be able to get a good night's sleep. Aria didn't bother changing into pajamas; she just laid down on her bed. Hours passed by and she blinked and looked at the wall, and eventually drifted off and went to sleep.

She woke up the next morning and dreaded having to go to school. The worst thing that could happen was if her English teacher was out, because then Ezra would have to be the substitute teacher. She couldn't face being in the same room as him. She couldn't sit there and pretend that everything was okay, because it wasn't.

She started getting ready for school, changing into a simple outfit—she was too tired to try and make herself look decent. She had no one to impress anyways. School was starting soon, and she hurried downstairs and greeted her parents as she left and drove to school. When she got there, she saw Hanna, Spencer and Emily waiting for her outside the building.

Hanna was the first to speak. "Aria, I've been calling you all morning. Where have you been? You were my ride; I had to ask that one freakishly tall girl in our class for a ride! And you wanna know what else? Her car smells like blue cheese! It was so bad!" Spencer and Emily snickered under their breath, causing Hanna to glare at them, and the two other brunettes only smiled at each other and avoided Hanna's gaze.

"Shoot, Hanna, I totally forgot. I... I slept most of yesterday. It slipped my mind, I'm sorry." She obviously didn't spend yesterday sleeping, but she couldn't tell her friends what had happened. At least not now.

"Whatever." The blonde replied. "You owe me, though. By owing, I mean you're going to get me a shirt that matches these pants. I went through so much trouble to make this outfit look decent!" Hanna pouted, making Aria smile—Hanna had this vibe where she could make anyone happy, even in the worst of times.

"Sure, Han. I should probably get to class now. I'll see you guys at lunch." She waved to her friends and walked up the steps to get to class, and when she turned into the hallway she almost bumped into Ezra… and her principal. She froze in her path, biting down on her lip and avoiding eye contact.

"Good morning, Ms. Montgomery." Her principal said. Ezra glanced at her, nervously playing with his hands. Aria couldn't really tell what was going on, and she tried to make it seem like she was perfectly okay.

"Good morning." She smiled wide, and then tried to make a quick escape. "I have to get to class. I really need to ask my English teacher about the book we're reading. I, uh, don't really understand it." They looked at her with doubt sketched onto their faces, and she inwardly cursed herself for not being the best liar.

Ezra then decided to speak. "Oh, I'm the substitute today. Here, I'll help you.." he trailed off and grabbed onto her arm, excusing herself from the principal and dragging Aria as casually as he could into a classroom. Aria tried to break away, taking a step back from him.

"I don't want to speak to you right now. What happened, happened. You made your choice." Her voice cracked slightly, showing how vulnerable she really was. Ezra sighed, looking down at the ground.

"I got caught up taking care of Malcolm. I'm sorry I didn't make it. I truly am, and I want you back. I know we haven't broken up officially, and I want to fix things." Ezra finished speaking and waited for Aria's response.

Part of her wanted to believe him, but she needed to get away. She couldn't just crawl back like she always did. It was going to be different this time. It broke her heart, but she knew what she needed to do.

"Don't, Ezra. If it isn't clear to you already, we ARE in fact over. I am not going to be the shadow in your life. I can't do that anymore." Tears threatened to spill over her eyes but she couldn't let him see that she was crying. Aria had to stop being weak. Luckily, the school bell rang, signaling the start of first period.

"I have to go now." She also said. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could, Aria turned on her heels and walked away from him. English was her first period, but she couldn't just sit in that class with him in it. Teaching. Looking at her. She pushed into the girl's bathroom and stared at her reflection. Tears were now cascading down her cheeks, her face was pale and she looked like she hadn't slept in a week. She didn't know what to do. She was lost and confused.

Aria had hit rock bottom.

**So thoughts? This might have been a really depressing chapter and it sucked, because I'm half asleep right now. Next chapter will be a lot better. Let's just say.. Aria's going to have an inner battle with herself. Please review, I love it when people review.**

**I'll update again sometime this week.**


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